ther than risk the lives of the country’s youth, all of whom were subject to conscription by the US Armed Forces, the Public voted to end this ‘unjust war’ by electing Nixon as president. In his election campaign, he had ‘promised’ to deescalate the war and end the draft. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To appease the American public, Nixon deescalated American troop involvement. Simultaneously his administration increased the bombing and its scope. Cambodia’s agrarian population now became an integral part the Company’s ‘killing field’. Although fewer Americans were at risk, the destructive feature of the war was actually escalating for all residents of Indochina. A little historical background is in store.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Recall that Cambodia only became a European colony after France ‘saved’ the country from Siamese aggression in the mid-1800s. Whatever else could be said for colonial rule, this political move saved Cambodia from being absorbed by her more aggressive neighbors. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Aligning themselves with the Cambodian king, the French allowed the kingdom a great deal of autonomy. They even assisted the ruling class to suppress some peasant revolts. Due to the increasing intransigence of th